Don't Look Back: The Missing Triles Moments
by Amethyst Beloved
Summary: The events of the summer movie through Miles' perspective where he ends up thinking about Tristan from time to time while he dates Zoë. Triles, Ziles and Gracevas.
1. Summer

It was summer time and Miles was a free man. Unlike his siblings, he had neither classes or a job to stand in between him and his shenanigans. On one end he had his best friend who was more than ready to join him today at the beach. On the other end, he was waiting for a call from Zoë because he was sure that they were going to hang out. Yup, any day now. The call would come. She was probably just busy with…

Tristan. He didn't expect to see them both at the beach that day too. His former boyfriend recently dyed his hair black and it looked so good. Dark, edgy, sexy. It made his skin look even more amazing, and the tank top he was wearing showed off his arms wonderfully. Had he been working out? Seeing him was all the more of a reminder that Tristan must be painting the town red with who knows how many eligible bachelors while he was still stuck without anyone.

 _You are a terrible person. You use and abuse people and one day you're going to wake up and realize that you have nobody. And I am so happy that I won't be there for that sad, sad day._

The prediction terrified him. Because being free also meant being alone and he needed to change that. Miles thought that he and Zoë had something going on before the semester was over. They hit it off well enough during community service. So of course dating had to be inevitable. Who ever heard of a guy and a girl just being friends? There's no point in fighting nature. He brought her to the concert as promised. They didn't kiss, but when he took her hand she didn't pull away. And when he was raving about the Hollingsworth Annual Post-Exam Extravaganza, he saw the panic wash over her face and that made him quickly scale the invite list down to six, which she greatly appreciated. They had a good time until Hunter turned into the ultimate party pooper. Arlene quickly excused herself after that embarrassing display and Zoë took that as her cue to leave as well before promising Miles that she would call him.

Then why wasn't she eating out of the palm of his hand? This was definitely a jarring difference compared to dating Tristan who never was shy about showing his affection while they were together. His ex didn't believe in playing mind games and he always adored the simple things in life. Like that time Tristan challenged them to go on dates where neither one of them were allowed to spend a nickel. When it was Miles' turn, he bought him to a quiet part of the park and sat on a tree stump to serenade Tristan with his guitar. He took great pleasure at watching the boy melt with every bar he sang. It had actually been a while since he played, but being with Tristan brought out all kinds of sides out of him that he either buried over time or simply didn't know existed. When the performance was over, Tristan gracefully rose from where he was sitting and gently took the guitar to carefully place it on the ground. He then sat on Miles' lap, wrapped his arms around his neck and slowly kissed every inch of his boyfriend's face to show his appreciation.

Miles forced himself out of that memory. He didn't want to be anyone's boyfriend. Despite some shining moments, at the end of the day he royally sucked at it. But once again, he didn't want to be alone so that's why he needed Zoë to call him some time this summer and soon. After what happened to her this year he was willing to bet that she wouldn't be interested in an all-in intense relationship either. Friends with benefits on the other hand could be fun. He needed to keep it casual and this time he'll be bracing himself for it to crumble like they always do. He did not have the best track record so maybe if he didn't throw himself too deeply it wouldn't hurt as much when it would be over. It was just going to be a rebound, right?

Because even though he couldn't predict the future, one way or another he'll always manage to be the one to drive everyone away.


	2. Red

Summer was finally going Miles' way.

Not only did he still have zero responsibilities, but now his problem of being alone was solved. Zoë finally woke up and realized that he could show her a good time. When he told her about scoring his dad's yacht for the day she shrieked and said that they had to go shopping for the proper attire. So what if the blazer she bought him clashed horribly with his summer shorts? If she wanted a boy toy to dress up, he'll be just that.

While she ducked into a lingerie store to check out the latest swimsuit sales, he loitered around until a certain article of clothing in the store next door caught his eye.

It was a red hoodie.

It wasn't the exact same colour like the deep cherry red one from _that night_ , but it was pretty damn close. And like it or not, it unleashed a whole wave of flashbacks.

 _"Just for the record, when I suggested that we have a bro date, I did not have any intentions of getting inside your pants."_

Miles blushed at the memory just as hard as he blushed when Tristan said those words for the first time after receiving the sweater and sweatpants. A cheesy joke like that should have warranted a groan in response or at the very least an exasperated eye roll. Instead, he giggled like an idiot and punched Tristan on his arm before hiding his red face. Thank God there was a blackout.

Miles wanted to flirt back. But he was too flustered. It was a strange feeling because usually he had more than enough swagger. He was actually a lot more confident in that department, like how he effortlessly put the moves on Maya at the back-to-school beach themed dance. Something was different with Tristan. Good different.

Tristan made a big fuss about never giving the hoodie back and Miles didn't mind at all. It was enough to cover his guilt after the incident of him putting his boyfriend's red pants to wash and then having them come out looking pink. He saved himself by calling them salmon and insisting that he could rock the look. Tristan never did let on if he knew the truth or if he was just humouring him.

Unfortunately, they didn't end up dating long enough to swap too many of their possessions. But the red hoodie wasn't the only thing that Tristan walked away with. Early on in their relationship, he teased Miles about the "I thought I'd be rich by now" magnet and how it had clearly done its job. Miles swiftly plucked it off of his door and silenced Tristan with a kiss while palming it in his hand. The only thing the blond had left to say was that he'd cherish it forever. The trinket quickly found its home in his own locker. And even after they broke up, Miles was surprised to see that the magnet was still in its place. Tristan was never one to lie.

Meanwhile, Miles' personal collection of all things Tristan was small enough already. But he didn't need too many reminders in the form of knick-knacks because more often than not his ex was found at the Hollingsworth patio table in the flesh, working on a lab assignments with Hunter.

He remembered coming home from a lonely day at the beach when Winston was with Frankie at Lola's Cantina, and how he immediately felt envious of the way Tristan was making his brother laugh with stories about just how far he went just to get views for his vlogs. _He_ should have been his audience. To make matters worse, Hunter suggested that they should start recording themselves playing video games together because people would get a kick of watching a Master and his Noob Apprentice.

Tristan and his brother _bonding_? Where was he supposed to fit in?

"Oh Miles," called out Tristan. "Can you come here for a sec?"

Miles was surprised that Tristan was talking to him again as he came closer. Did he want him to be involved with the online project too? Does this mean they could hang out again?

"Can I have my striped shirt back? Labour Day is fast approaching and there are only so many tops that I can pair with my fabulous white pants."

"Um, sure Tris, no problem."

"And uh, I can bring your red sweatshirt if you want-"

"No!" Miles interjected quickly. "You can, ah, keep it."

Tristan gave Miles a genuine smile that was a painful reminder of how he used to beam just for him when they were dating. It was the same smile that he got whenever he made things right, from saying that their first real kiss was "good weird" to when he called Tristan his boyfriend for the first time in front of their friends. It was a moment that made him think about the way things used to be.

"Are you going to gawk at your reflection all day?"

Zoë's question made him jolt back to the present. Miles turned his head and tried to wrack his brain for a comeback, but he couldn't surface back fast enough. Meanwhile, she eyed the sweater and shrugged.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer."

That was all Miles needed to enter the store and purchase the hoodie. Yes, it wasn't the exact same colour like the cherry red one from _that night._

But it was close enough to feel close to him.


	3. And

Shortly after her spat with Grace at the Full Moon party, Zoë quickly asked Miles to take her home. It was a quiet drive, and when she completely forgot to kiss him goodnight, the mysterious playboy took it as a sign that this was indeed the beginning of the end of their summer fling.

They never really took the time to define their relationship. In one way or another they figured that there was no point. Just two people casually being more than friends where they were able to pass the time chatting warmly and sharing sweet kisses. And yet both the topics of his ex and her apparent object of fascination (though she would never admit it) would dip in and out of their conversations.

Miles couldn't help it. As much as he didn't want to dwell on his past, he just had to ask how Tristan was doing. Plus he wanted to know how the heck did Zoë preserve her friendship with him when Tristan was notorious for holding grudges. She simply explained that she told her bestie flat out about her intentions and he was calm. She claimed that he insisted for the umpteenth time that he had indeed moved on and is dating a string of very cute boys now that he had managed to find the perfect balance of presenting himself on his Teendr profile. In fact, Tristan even gave Zoë his blessing, which Miles figured wasn't anything new for the boy.

Now it looked like Zoë was ready to move on too even if she hadn't realized it yet. He should have seen it coming. While he was noticing the way that Grace was hanging on to Zoë's every word, the fact that it was going both ways completely went over his head. But her body language and attitude at Lola's Cantina when they were laughing over who knows what should have said it all. The way she was engrossed in her conversations with Grace. The way that her eyes followed her when she got up to get them a couple more drinks for them. The way that she was insistent that they spent time together beyond their duties as lab partners. Zoë was as good as gone.

So when the possibility of Miles having a threesome with Zoë _and_ Grace bubbled up, he was intrigued. Which startled him because if there was one thing that made him see red it was having a third person in his relationship. When it came to Maya, there was not enough room for both him and Zig, even if he tried to make it work for her sake. He became too possessive to keep up with the charade.

Would the idea of being in a ménage-a-trois with Tristan be appealing to him? Probably not. He was his "and one Tristan", after all. His connection with his ex was so deep that even to this day it would still be out of the question. Even if Grace did agree with joining him and Zoë on a tryst, Miles knew that she was asking for herself rather than for the benefit of her "rich boyfriend". And he wouldn't be surprised if they were so into each other that they would accidentally on purpose muscle him out of the threesome. When Zoë called Grace a "lovesick lesbian", she may have well been talking about herself.

And that was the moment that Miles realized that he went from the possibility of having two girls… to being left with no one at all.


	4. Smell

The stress levels were at an all time high in the Hollingsworth living room, which was temporarily serving as command central. Everyone was pitching ideas in order to find missing Maya. Zig was fraught with worry and insisted on blaming himself rather than thinking about how to solve the problem. He was ready to jump from one zany plan to another even when it didn't make sense. Luckily, Tristan had a cool head and took control of the situation at hand by firing up his laptop and calming everyone down. Miles was grateful for his leadership and was hovering closer until he was directly behind him. Tristan stiffened for a moment when Miles rested his arm on the back of the chair, but other than that there was no sign that he suggested that he would have preferred it if he was on the other side of the room.

Miles was relieved that he wasn't banished because this is where he needed to be. He had to be near the familiar scent that always made him imagine a rain forest in the spring with white flowers everywhere and an intoxicating combination of blood oranges, lemons, grapefruits and pepper. It was the smell of Tristan's all time favourite cologne: Versace Man.

Miles discovered the scent on the night of the thunderstorm. Right before the two of them rejoined his sister and Winston in the living room, Tristan spritzed a bit of his cologne on his neck. Miles was automatically drawn to the captivating aroma of that first spray which had him visualizing strong scented lemon trees everywhere. The dry down turned out to be even better. Miles was much too shy to tell Tristan that it was the smell of Versace Man that allowed him to find him, and used the excuse about how circling back to the starting point was the oldest trick in the book to save himself.

Grace was now talking about formulas or focal points and that was enough to catch Miles' own focus. He also noticed Zoë's doe eyes towards her while she was sharply making links. He remembered that look. It was the same look that Tristan use to give him when he was his. It was a memory that was still locked in his mind even if other traces of their relationships were starting to fade. Miles closed his eyes and took another deep breath to recall how Tristan's scent used to be a permanent fixture in his car. They definitely had enough steamy makeouts in the closed quarters for the aroma to linger longer than it normally would.

Miles used to recline the seats as far as they would go before switching sides and straddling Tristan to mould their chests together. No matter where he kissed, the heavenly smell would always wrap itself around him like a metaphorical blanket. It was the combination of sandalwood and citrus that drove him wild. It was like a slow dance in the misty rain with a cooling feel. It contrasted deliciously with the hot, urgent kisses that would start at Tristan's lips before trailing lower to his neck where the scent was at its strongest. His lover's hands would then go lower and his nimble fingers would inch closer until—

Miles forced himself back into the moment when he realized that he was smiling just a bit too widely considering that it was a time of crisis. This was not where his mind needed to be.

"Um, Miles?" Tristan asked the brunet a few moments later, waving a hand in front of his face to get his attention.

Miles faced the boy in front of him who gave him a weird look in return.

"Come on. Your girlfriend cracked the case. We're calling the police."

He watched everyone exit.

"She's not my girlfriend," he said out loud to the empty room before leaving to follow his friends.


	5. Sunset

"Aw, come on Franks, you don't need that loser in your life anyway."

"That 'loser' is your best friend."

"How does that saying go? Sisters before misters?"

Frankie snorted through her tears but it was enough to quell the waterworks for now.

"Well, considering the fact that you're using it quite literally, I'll give you a pass," she giggled.

"You know what will cheer you up even more?"

"What?"

"Dance with me."

" _What?_ "

"You heard me. Let's dance."

"We haven't danced since we were kids back when we would combine the steps from my tap and your hip hop."

"All the more reason to give it a whirl!"

Miles tugged Frankie in the opposite direction of scowling Winston and led her to the clearing on the beach where people were already staying to couple up, which included Tristan and Zoë. Miles accidentally on purpose stood close enough to Tristan for them to bump into each other and relished the shock waves coursing through his body before pouring all of his attention to his sister.

The more they swung around in circles, the happier Frankie seemed to be as the traces of sadness slowly faded away. Before long the twinkle in her eyes returned and Miles was satisfied with a job well done.

"It's gonna be weird not having a boyfriend anymore…"

"You know, now would be a great time to make up with some old friends. You could use some girls in your corner."

"Like your girlfriend?"

"Number one, she was never my _girlfriend_. It was a fling. Anyway, I think I just got dumped. And number two, yes, I mean Zoë."

"After what she did to me? I'd rather stick a needle in my eye!"

"Ever so dramatic. Have you been taking lessons from…"

Miles' heart lurched and he couldn't even finish his sister took the initiative to be the one to snap _him_ out of his gloomy bubble.

"You're right, Brother."

"Ah, music to my ears."

"There's just one last thing that would really cheer me up."

"Anything."

"Switch partners with me."

It wasn't so much of a request as it was a statement. In a flash, she broke free from Miles' arms and raced ahead to pounce on Zoë from behind with a hug. The other girl was startled at first, but she returned Frankie's embrace and let herself be whisked away after offering Tristan an apologetic smile. He simply waved it off before turning around to walk away. That was when Miles' hand shot out and captured his wrist.

"Don't go."

With Tristan being too stunned to respond to the request, Miles took the opportunity to continue talking before he was met with resistance.

"Please? It will be fun. Let's just forget the drama. For a little bit. Until sunset! And I kind of owe it to you since my dance partner stole yours."

Tristan looked down at the painfully familiar way that Miles was holding on to him before meeting his eyes.

"Okay, until the sun goes down then. After that we walk away."

Miles let out the breath that he was unaware of holding and chuckled nervously. He loosened his grip and slid his fingers over Tristan's hand before intertwining their digits together and guided him to the circle. Once they were with the crowd, Miles turned and took Tristan's other hand before leading him in the same basic Hustle steps that he and his sister were doing earlier. His ex's guard was lowering and they were both laughing in no time at all. That was when Miles decided to switch things up and lead dance partner in a tight spin before bringing him even closer. Tristan's arms automatically looped around his neck. He didn't meet Miles' eyes but he didn't pull away either so the other boy wrapped his arms around his slender waist. His heart leaped when Tristan decided to perch his chin on his shoulder and when Miles hugged him closer, he could have sworn that he heard a blissful sigh close to his ear. Tristan nuzzled into the brunet's collar as they continued to sway and Miles pressed his lips to his temple in return.

They were so deeply intertwined in each others' arms that it was hard to tell where one began and the other ended. Miles barely felt his feet touching the ground as he moved to the music. It had been _months_ since he felt this good and judging by the way Tristan was smiling with his eyes closed, Miles was willing to bet his family fortune that the boy currently locked in his arms was feeling the same way.

This was it: the moment he needed to make things right.

Miles was so consumed with his thoughts, he was missing one of the most beautiful sunsets that the summer had to offer. But that didn't escape Tristan's radar.

"A promise is a promise," he said delicately while detaching himself from Miles' embraced. "Anyway, I should get going."

Miles gripped on to Tristan's hand.

"Look, I'm sorry. For everything. I miss you. I miss _us_. Is there any way that we can start over?"

Tristan stayed silent.

"Please Tris… I just really want to kiss you right now."

Tristan's eyes glazed over and his lips formed a perfect 'o'. Miles could practically see their two favourite little words since the night of the storm at the tip of his tongue that could very well be the key to his second chance.

But the look left as quickly as it came. Tristan's eyes hardened before he yanked his hand away and tucked it into his crossed arms.

"I'm not going to fall in love at the drop of a hat, Hollingsworth. I can't just forget what happened. And you've _gotta_ be sure about what you want."

"I miss being with you. I want us to hang out again."

"Maybe one day we can. But trust me, you've got a lot of work to do before we're cool."

"Tell me, what to do to make this right?"

Tristan offered him a tight smile before looking away and shoving his hands in his pockets. He turned to leave, fading away with the sunset. Miles realized that there was no magic solution this time. Quick fixes such as slapping on a sexy uniform were a thing of the past. He was going to have to use everything he had to get back into this boy's good graces.

Because he needed Tristan back in his life.


End file.
